Sheil Kapadia

Philly.com

Jeremiah Trotter surprised everyone last season when he signed with the Eagles after a more than two-year hiatus from the game.

Appearing at a Harlem Globetrotters event at Temple University yesterday, Trotter said he wants to keep on playing after the 14-game stint with the Birds.

"You know what? I think I'll be back with the Eagles," he told a group of reporters, including our intern, Litty Samuel. "I'm very hopeful. I'm being optimistic. Right now those guys have bigger fish to fry. They have the draft, the combine this past weekend. They know the old man, they can deal with me down the road, which is cool with me. ... I know I'm gonna land somewhere. I'm praying and hopeful that I land back with the Eagles."

Trotter, 33, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on Friday.

As part of the Eagles' linebacker carousel in '09, he showed flashes, like in Week 17 when he manned the middle in the second half against the Cowboys and looked like the Eagles' best defensive player.

The next week, though, in the playoffs, he came back down to earth, struggling along with the rest of his teammates.

Trotter talked about a couple other subjects, including the release of Brian Westbrook.

"Me and Brian are very close. And it didn't surprise me," he said. "During the course of the season... obviously there was talk even before the season started. He was having injuries with the ankle and the knee, and they said he lost a step. I've been through that. They said the same thing about me. And then he had the consussion during the season. He saw the young kid come in and play very well. Once that happens, you kind of understand... OK... here it comes. Here we go again."

And of course, like everyone else, Trotter was asked his opinion of the Eagles' quarterback situation.

He said nothing would surprise him after so many years in the league and answered the question of whether he thinks Kevin Kolb is ready to be a starter.

"I think he is. Even before he played the two games this past season before I rejoined the team, I saw some things in him his rookie year - his leadership, his arm strength, he's a very athletic guy," Trotter said. "He has all the intangibles to be a great quarterback. He had a rough game against Baltimore. It was a tough situation for him to be put in at that time, and then he came back against the Saints and against the Chiefs, and had great games. He got NFC Player of the Week one week. The guy can play. I think it helped him out a lot playing behind the caliber of quarterback like a Donovan McNabb because you can learn from him. I think he's learned a lot over the last couple of years and it's helped him."

Note that Trotter was not answering whether he thinks Kolb should take over the Eagles' starting quarterback role. He was just commenting on the progress Kolb has made and his general ability to start in the league.